Continuous loose end inspection system

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING CIGARETTE ENDS COMPRISING A ROTATING DRUM HAVING INDIVIDUAL HOLDERS THEREON FOR TRANSPORTING CIGARETTES IN A PRODUCTION LINE THROUGH AN INSPECTION STATTION AND INSPECTING MEANS AT EACH HOLDER IN FORM OF A PISTON WITH A PROBE ON ITS END WHICH IS FORCED AGAINST THE ADJACENT END OF A CIGARETTE IN THE HOLDER BY A PREDETERMINED PNEUMATIC PRESSURE SUPPLIED AT THE INSPECTION STATION WHICH PRESSURE IS USED TO ACTUATE A MEMORY AND REJECT SYSTEM WHEN THE CIGARETTE IS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. IF A CIGARETTE END IS LOOSELY PACKED BOR FORESHORTENED, THE PISTON WILL BE DISPLACED BEYOND A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE,   PERMITING THE ACTUATING PRESSURE TO BE DIVERTD INTO THE MEMORY-REJECT SYSTEM DISPLACING A PISTON IN A DRUM LOCATED FURTHER ALONG A CONVEYOR CHAIN THAT INTERRUPTS THE TRAVEL ON THE POSITIVELY REMOVES THE INSPECTED CIGARETTES FROM THE INSPECTING DRUM. THE ROTATION OF THE LATTER DRUM IS TIMED SO THAT THE MEMORY DEVICE WILL ACTUATE THE REJECT MEANS AS A DEFECTIVE CIGARETTE PASSES ON THE CONVEYOR CHAIN.

Oct. 26, 1971 L. E. PAYNE CONTINUOUS LOOSE END INSPECTION SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, 1969 INVENTOR.

[51/5 5. PA y/VE BY ATTORNEY Oct. .26; 1971 L. E. PAYNE CONTINUOUS LOOSE END INSPECTION SYSTEM Filed Sept; 10. 1969 4. Sheets-Sheet 2 s. g m

Oct. 26, 1971 L. E. PAYNE CONTINUOUS LOOSE END INSPECTION SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 10, 1969 Oct. 26,1197] L. E. PAYNE r 3,615,007

CONTINUOUS LOOSE END INSPECTION SYSTEM Filed Sept. 10, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O 3,615,007 CONTINUOUS LOOSE END INSPECTION SYSTEM Leslie Elmer Payne, Winston-Salem, N.C., assignor to R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Winston-Salem, N.C. Filed Sept. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 856,700 Int. Cl. B07c /34 U.S. Cl. 209-79 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DESCLOSURE Apparatus for inspecting cigarette ends comprising a rotating drum having individual holders thereon for trans-. porting cigarettes in a production line through an inspection station and inspecting means at each holder in form of a piston with a probe on its end which is forced against the adjacent end of a cigarette in the holder by a predetermined pneumatic pressure supplied at the inspection station which pressure is used to actuate a memory and reject system when the cigarette is found to be defective. If a cigarette end is loosely packed or foreshortened, the piston will be displaced beyond a predetermined distance, permitting the actuating pressure to be diverted into the memory-reject system displacing a piston in a drum located further along a conveyor chain that interrupts the travel on and positively removes the inspected cigarettes from the inspecting drum. The rotation of the latter drum is timed so that the memory device will actuate the reject means as a defective cigarette passes on the conveyor chain.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the cigarette inspection art and more particularly to a method and means for inspecting cigarette ends for defects such as loosely packed tobacco, foreshortening and missing filters.

A particular problem in present-day high speed cigarette manufacturing is the detection of defective cigarettes in the rapidly moving production line. Since, at times during production, a cigarette will appear in the line with the tobacco at an end missing or loosely packed, or some cigarettes may be shorter than the standard length, such as by missing the filter, it is necessary to test the ends of all the cigarettes so that defective ones may be removed. Various systems have been developed to inspect cigarette ends by using either mechanical or pneumatic probes as the cigarettes move along a conveyor. In earlier systems of this type, the probe unit was stationary along the manufacturing line and each cigarette was tested as it passed the probe or the probe was moved parallel to the cigarette for a portion of its path. However, with the increase in the speed of cigarette production, now of the order of 3,000 to 4,000 per minute, the prior inspection systems were found to be unsatisfactory because of the attendant reduction in test accuracy due to the necessary decrease in inspection time and the resulting inefliciency in subsequent rejection system operation.

A recent system which overcomes the high speed inspection problem by providing individual pneumatic probes for travel with each of the cigarettes being tested is disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 753,536 filed Aug. 19, 1968 now US. Pat. No. 3,485,357 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

The present invention is an improvement on the purely pneumatic inspection system disclosed in that copending application and comprises a pneumatically-actuated mechanical probe which provides a more positive testing action for greater precision and accuracy as may be required in certain cases.

Patented Oct. 26, 1971 The present invention embodies a cigarette end-testing system comprising a cigarette conveyor, such as a rotating drum, incorporating individual pneumatically-actuated mechanical inspection means for the cigarettes being conveyed, and an associated pneumatically-actuated memory and reject system for the removal from the production line of cigarettes found to have defective ends.

More particularly, the inspection means comprises a series of chambers on the conveyor drum each having an opening adjacent the end of a cigarette being conveyed on the drum and a piston in each chamber having a probe on the end nearest the opening. After a cigarette has been deposited on the drum, a predetermined pneumatic pressure is introduced into the adjacent chamber displacing the piston, so that its probe engages the adjacent end of the cigarette. If the cigarette end is of the proper length and texture, the probe will be stopped by it after a given piston displacement. However, if the cigarette is defective, the piston will be displaced beyond the given distance, opening a port in the chamber to permit the release of the actuating pressure to operate a defect-indicating memory device. The cigarettes are abruptly removed by interrupting their path of travel with the drum by means of a conveyor chain which may rotate the drum through a sprocket connected between them. The memory device which comprises a series of displaceable pistons in the conveyor drum or in a second rotating drum, pneumatically actuates a rejecting means for removing defective cigarettes further along the conveyor chain.

The individual inspection probes mounted on and moving with the conveyor permit the testing of the cigarettes over a longer period of time than is generally accomplished by prior test units and the mechanical probe provides a more rapid and accurate test of the cigarette end. The pneumatic probe-actuating pressure is used to operate the associated memory and reject system so that the entire combined system is of simple, trouble-free constrnction, requiring a minimum of moving parts, regulation and maintenance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of an inspection drum in accordance with the present invention, receiving a line of cigarette to be inspected;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the inspection drum taken along the lines 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a memory drum and rejection means in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the memory drum and rejection means taken along the lines 44 in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION While the inspecting and memory-reject systems of the present invention will be described as embodied on rotating drums, it should be understood that the present invention may be used with other equivalent conveying means well known to those skilled in the art' Also, for convenience and clarity of description, the inspecting system will be described as testing one end of a cigarette, but it will be seen by those skilled in the art that the structure may be easily duplicated to inspect both ends simultaneously.

Inspecting system FIG. 1 shows a number of cigarettes 1 in a high speed manufacturing line being fed from a turnaround drum 2 along guide rails 3 and onto an inspection drum 4- which is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The turnaround drum 2 may be of the type disclosed in the copending US. patent application of J. R. Everhart, Ser.

No. 708,475, filed Feb. 20, 1968 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The drums 2 and 4 are rotated rapidly in unison so that the cigarettes 1 are fed individually in sequence along a path from the turnaround drum 2 onto the inspection drum 4, through an inspection zone A, and onto a conveyor chain 5 in very rapid succession.

As shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 the inspection drum 4 is mounted for rotation on a support shaft 6 by means of suitable bearings 7. The drum 4 may act as an idler wheel for a conveyor chain sprocket 8 to which it is fixed, so that the conveyor chain drive (not shown) acts to rotate the drum 4 through the chain and sprocket connection. Alternatively, the drum 4 may be driven directly and act to drive the conveyor chain 5.

The means for inspecting the individual cigarettes is located on the right side of the drum 4 and generally comprises an annular manifold member 9 and bearing ring 10 which are connected to and rotate with the drum 4, and which cooperate with a stationary air supply ring 11. The air supply ring 11 is mounted on an internal flange 12 in a cap member 13 to which it is connected by a connecting in 14 and the entire arrangement is fastened to the shaft 6 by a securing nut 15. The air supply ring 11 is provided in the area of the inspecting zone A with three air-conducting chambers 16, 17 and 18 whose function will be described hereinafter.

For conveying the cigarettes, the drum 4 is provided with two annular flanges 19a and 1%, having a series of peripheral matching grooves or holders 20 which successively receive individual cigarettes 1 in the line being fed from the turnaround drum 2. An end inspecting device is provided opposite each of the holders 20 in the form of a piston plunger 21 which operates in a chamber 22 in the manifold member 9. The piston 21 has a probe pin 23 on one end that extends through the chamber wall immediately adjacent to the end of a cigarette in the holder 20.

The inspecting operation is carried out in the following manner. The individual cigarettes 1, upon leaving the turnaround drum 2, are guided by the rails 3 into the individual holders 20 on the rotating inspection drum 4 and are maintained therein by the upper guide rails 3a. A guide rail 24 is positioned to engage and align the left ends of the cigarettes so that the right ends of normal cigarettes will lie in a common plane spaced a given distance D from the inside surface of the manifold member 9.

As the inspection drum 4 rotates, the port 10a in the bearing ring 10 opposite the piston plunger chamber 22 comes into communication with the elongated chamber 16 in the air supply ring 11. The elongated chamber 16 is supplied with an actuating pressure, for example, from a source of compressed air 28. The pressure acts through end 22a, in the chamber 22, on the face of the piston plunger 21 moving it to the left in FIG. 2, until its probe pin 23 engages the near end of the cigarette 1 held in the respective holder 20. The level of the pressure will be adjusted so that the probe pin 23 will be stopped by cigarettes with firmly packed ends, but will penetrate ends of loose textural fabrication. This action provides a positive, accurate test of the end of each cigarette in the line and permits a precise setting of the exact test pressure desired.

As the drum 4 continues to rotate, passages 9a and 9b, in member 9, and port 1012, in ring 10, which cooperate to communicate with the left end of the piston plunger chamber 22, will be brought into communication with the elongated chamber 18 in the air supply ring 11. These passages are normally in communication with the atmosphere through chamber 16a (FIG. 1) to permit the displacement of the piston plunger 21. At this point, a reset pressure is supplied to the chamber 18 and operates, through the passages 9a and 912, against the left face of the piston plunger 21, returning it to the opposite end of the chamber 22, which now is vented to atmosphere through chamber 18a (FIG. 1). The cigarette 1 is then free to be de- 4 posited upon matching supports 5a on the conveyor chain 5 and fed along the production line for further processing.

It will be seen that the conveyor chain 5 operates to interrupt the path of travel of the cigarettes with the drum 4 in such a manner that no cigarettes can be retained thereon even if continuously engaged by a probe pin 23 beyond the inspection station A.

Now, if, during the inspecting operation, a particular cigarette is shorter than the desired length, so that its end is, or will be moved beyond the distance D, or if the end being inspected is of poor texture, the piston plunger 21 will be moved beyond the given distance D for normal cigarettes, uncovering a slot or opening 25 in the wall of chamber 22. This slot, 25, communicates with interconnecting passage and port in the ring manifold member 9 and bearing ring 10 respectively. As the drum 4 rotates, the port 100 enters into communication with port 17 in the air supply ring 11, so that the actuating pressure being supplied to chamber 22 through port 10a will be released through slot 25 and passage 90 and port 100 into the port 17. This pressure is led through a suitable line 26 communicating with port 17, to activate an associated memory system 27 indicating a defective cigarette at that particular point in the line of cigarettes. The memory system 27 may then be used to activate a reject means located further along the conveyor chain 5, at which point the defective cigarette may be removed.

MEMORY-REJECT SYSTEM The memory system 27 may be incorporated in the inspecting drum 4 or in a separate drum. An associated memory system in a separate drum and an appropriate reject means is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The separate memory drum 30 may be remotely located, if desired, or as shown in FIG. 3, positioned above the conveyor chain 5, along with the reject means 48, somewhat beyond the inspection drum 4. The memory system is embodied in a drum 30 of somewhat similar construction to the inspection drum 4, but without the cigarette-conveying and inspecting means. The drum 30 rotates, along with its attached bearing ring 31 on a support shaft 32. A stationary air supply ring 33 cooperates with the bearing ring 31 and is mounted on an internal flange 34 in cap member 35 to which it is connected by connecting pin 36 and the composite arrangement is fastened on the drum support shaft 32 by a securing nut 37.

The drum 30 contains a series of chambers 38, each of which contains a valve member 39 and each communicating at one end with passages 40a, 40b and 400 and at its other end with port 31b. A passage 41 communicates with each chamber 38 through its side wall. The number of memory valves 39 may correspond to the number of inspection plungers 21 as shown in FIG. 3, but if it is desired, the number of valves may be reduced permitting a reduction in the size of the drum 30. The number of valves may correspond to the number of inspection chamber spacings between the inspection point and the rejection point with the addition of two or more to permit the valves to be returned to their original positions as will be described.

The air supply ring 33 is provided with suitable chambers 42 and 43 as shown in FIG. 4, which cooperate with the respective passages in the drum 30 in the following manner. Firstly, the ports 31b in the air ring 31 are successively connected directly through chamber 42 (FIG. 3) with the line 26 which communicates with the signal pressure port 17 of the inspection drum 4. As the memory drum 30 rotates, if a cigarette is found to be defective on the inspection drum 4, the defect signal pressure will enter one of the ports 31b and act against the face of the corresponding memory valve 39. The rotational rates of the inspection drum 4 and memory drum 30 are regulated so that a memory valve 39 will be passing chamber 42 as a cigarette is passing port 17, The appropriate memory valve 39 will be displaced to the left end of the chamber 38 by the action of the signal pressure. The passage 40a at the left end of the chamber 38 will be communicated with the atmosphere at this point through chamber 43 to permit the valve displacement. As the memory drum 30 continues to rotate, the corresponding defective cigarette 'will be placed on and carried along by the conveyor chain 5. When the defective cigarette reaches the reject zone B, the passage 41 in the wall of chamber 38 will come into communication with chamber 44 through which air under pressure is supplied. If the valve 39 has not been displaced, this pressurized air will pass through the bore 39a in the valve 39 and out through passage 40a and chamber 45 as best seen in FIG. 3 to atmosphere. However, when the valve 39 has been displaced, the pressurized air will be directed to port 46 in the air supply ring 33 through port 31b. This pressure is fed through a line 47, communicating with .port 46, and is applied to a jet device 48 which directs a blast of air against the end of the faulty cigarette 1 passing beneath on the conveyor 5. The cigarette will be shifted laterally on the chain supports a causing the end distant from the jet device 48 to lose its support and fall away, dropping the cigarette off the conveyor chain 5. Drum 30 has a cutout 30a, so that suflicient room is provided above the chain 5 of the conveyor to allow the cigarette to pivot about the chain 5 and fall free of the conveyor. The timing of memory drum rotation and the locating of the ports 42, 44 and 46 in the air supply ring 33 permit defective cigarettes to be rejected at any point along the conveyor.

After rejection, the continuing rotation of the drum 30 will bring passage 40c into communication with chamber 49 in the air supply ring 33, permitting pressurized air to enter the chamber 38 to reset the memory valve 39 in its original position. Port 5-0 vents the opposite end of the chamber 38 to atmosphere and a port 51 is provided in the passage 40b to provide an additional rejection jet during the reset operation.

It will be seen that the inspecting system and memory system may be integrated into one drum, if desired, by modifying drum 4 to include the memory valves 39, and accordingly enlarging air supply ring 11 to include the porting of ring 33 with a connecting passage between ports 17 and 42.

Alternatively, drums 4 and 30 may be arranged to mesh tangentially with a corresponding number of cigarette receiving grooves or holders provided on the periphery of drum 30 to receive and to convey cigarettes for further processing. In this case, a conveyor belt would be used rather than the conveyor chains 5 and rejection could be accomplished just beyond the point of drum and belt tangency.

An apparatus for inspecting cigarette ends is thus presented which is capable of high speed operation, while positively and accurately inspecting each individual cigarette end, and yet is of simple and trouble-free construction, using a pneumatically operated single moving part. Similarly uncomplicated associated conveying and memory-reject systems are provided which efiiciently transport all the inspected cigarettes from the inspection station and reject only those found to be defective.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for inspecting cigarette ends, comprising:

(a) means for conveying a series of cigarettes in individual holders through an inspection station;

(b) means for inspecting the ends of the cigarettes held in the individual holders for defects; and

(c) means for indicating the cigarettes found to be defective; the improvement wherein said inspecting means comprises:

(d) means on said conveying means defining a plurality of chambers, each chamber having an opening 6 adjacent the end of a cigarette held in an individual holder;

(e) a piston in each chamber, having a probe on the end nearest said opening; and

(f) means for supplying a predetermined pneumatic pressure against the other end of said piston when the chamber is passing through said inspection station, to displace the piston in the chamber forcing the probe against the adjacent end of the cigarette in the holder.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, including means for sensing when a piston has been displaced beyond a predetermined amount.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said indicating means comprises means for producing a pressure signal when the piston has been displaced beyond a predetermined amount.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3, including (g) memory means actuated by said pressure signal;

and

(h) rejecting means, controlled by said memory means, for removing defective cigarettes from said series.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said indicating means comprises means communicating with said chambers to release said predetermined pneumatic pressure when the piston is displaced beyond a predetermined amount.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5, including a memory device actuated by said released pressure.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6, including rejecting means controlled by said memory device.

8. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said memory device comprises (g) means defining a chamber; (h) a valve in said chamber; (i) a first port in said chamber for admitting said released pressure to displace said valve; and (j) a second port in said chamber for admitting pressure which is passed through said first port to said rejecting means when the valve is displaced.

9. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said individual holders comprise spaced flanges on said conveying means, having a plurality of matching grooves therein for receiving said cigarettes, and including transporting means passing between said flanges for removing the cigarettes from said grooves by interrupting their path of travel with said conveying means after leaving said inspection station.

10. Apparatus for inspecting cigarette ends for proper length and end textural fabrication, comprising:

(a) a rotatable inspection drum;

(b) spaced flanges on said drum having a plurality of matching grooves therein for receiving cigarettes to be conveyed through an inspection station;

(c) a plurality of inspecting pistons having a probe on one end and contained in chambers in said drum transversely aligned with the matching grooves, said probes being spaced a predetermined distance from said grooves to permit contact of the probes with the ends of cigarettes positioned in said grooves upon displacement of the inspecting pistons in the chambers;

(d) a source of pneumatic pressure for displacing the inspecting pistons in the chambers at the inspection station to cause said probes to contact the conveyed cigarette ends; and

(e) a conveyor moving between said spaced flanges for interrupting the path of travel of the cigarettes wih the drum and transporting the cigarettes out of the grooves removing them from the drum after inspection.

11. Apparatus as in claim 10, including a memory and reject system comprising:

(f) passages in said inspection drum communicating with said inspecting piston chambers for releasing the pneumatic pressure in a chamber when the inspecting piston is displaced beyond a predetermined distance;

(g) a rotatable memory drum;

(h) a plurality of indicator valves contained in chambers in said memory drum and corresponding in number to said inspecting pistons;

(i) a first port in said indicator valve chambers and communicating with said pistons for admitting said released pressure to displace said valves;

(j) a second port in said indicator valve chambers for admitting a reject pressure to said indicator valve chambers, which pressure passes through said chambers when the indicator valve is displaced; and

(k) a rejection nozzle which directs the rejection pressure after passing through said chamber toward said conveyor for removing defective cigarettes from said conveyor.

12. Apparatus for indicating and rejecting a defective cigarette in a line of cigarettes comprising:

(a) means defining a series of chambers;

(b) a valve in each of said chambers;

(0) means in each of said chambers for admitting a defective cigarette indicating pressure to displace said valve;

(d) means in said chambers for admitting a reject pressure to said chambers; and

(e) means in said chamber for accepting the reject pressure when the valve is displaced and means for rejecting defective cigarettes when the reject pressure is passed to said accepting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,408,858 11/1968 Kaeding 20974 X 3,412,856 11/1968 Esenwein 20974 20 RICHARD A. SCHACHER, Primary Examiner 

